Would you like the OPTION of "Best Offer" available on eBid?

[sidthelamp]

The last time I checked, this site was still comprised of individual sellers free to run their businesses as they see fit. But to clarify, she made a business decision that was between her and her buyers, and as such, was nobody else's business. Were you involved? I wasn't.

then why did she ask questions about her business on a open forum for any one to answer and she replied to the answers to her original questions, she made it every ones eles business to comment just like you did.

[TiasTreasures]

then why did she ask questions about her business on a open forum for any one to answer and she replied to the answers to her original questions, she made it every ones eles business to comment just like you did.

LOL . . . I didn't mean to cause a new disagreement. All I did was give a couple of examples in response to someone's question. Look what I started!

The questions in my next post were in response to someone else's post and, to some extent, rhetorical. Maybe even a bit sarcastic. But also valid, since I don't mind if someone gives me a feasible solution. Since this problem only applies to a very small number of our listings, it's not high on our agenda.

However, I always appreciate getting support.

[sidthelamp]

LOL . . . I didn't mean to cause a new disagreement. All I did was give a couple of examples in response to someone's question. Look what I started!

The questions in my next post were in response to someone else's post and, to some extent, rhetorical. Maybe even a bit sarcastic. But also valid, since I don't mind if someone gives me a feasible solution. Since this problem only applies to a very small number of our listings, it's not high on our agenda.

However, I always appreciate getting support.

i know Tias, its just a debate about best offers that gets a bit heated at times, theres two sides to this large fence with lots of differing points of view, its really only the views that matter

[marschenegger]

Your not much good at this either are you Mark,
you still can't get me to lose my cool.

Which just goes to prove how wrong you've always been.
And how wrong you'll always be.

Now if you don't mind, we want to improve ebid,
you just go and stagnate in the corner and talk to youself.

LMAO! Is that why you think I'm here? You're even denser and more narcissistic than I thought, wow.

I'll gladly go into a corner if every debate on this topic (of which there have been FAR too many of late) would not degrade into a flaming war against me by the people who seem to think the Best Offer option is one of their personal entitlements.

[theweaverboy]

personal entitlements.

Is an item the seller's personal property?

Is the listing made by the seller to gain a profit?

And don't a lot of people like flea markets? Isn't that why millions fell in love with the original eB*y? Or was it just me?

[kengillam]

This thread is like listening to kids squabbling in the playground, I wonder what impression this gives to people browsing the site.

On the subject of Best Offer, the title of the thread, why not add in your description in BIG letters "Why not use the Ask seller question option to make me an Offer" then see what happens!

[CarnoustieCats]

Yes, well said (? and enough said)

[deltadelta48]

Actually the original post makes absolutely no sense whatsoever and is rife with contradictions. For example...





Huh? The seller has no idea of value but knows this particular example's market price starts at $100? Bad example, I guess.



If the seller doesn't know the value and accepts $25, who is to say $40 is not a fair and realistic price? Moreover, if the buyer who made the offer looked at the item when the price was $40, who can say for sure that the buyer would not have paid the full asking price of $40? There's no way to say with absolute certainty that having the haggling feature made the sale a success. If there was any chance of selling the item at $40, then accepting $25 was a failure. Some buyers are really smart and will realize that items listed at bargain prices will not sell despite being priced low, so offering even less and waiting for the seller's response will incur only a small chance that another buyer will jump in and take the item at the full asking price. If you doubt this, make a 1-week auction listing for an item worth at least $20 and make the start price $2 and see for yourself how much competition ensues.



Ditto. How do you know $75 wasn't enough of a bargain and would have been snapped up right away on another auction site?



How can you decide if an offer is ridiculous if you have absolutely no idea what an item is worth? Makes no sense.

I asked people to tell us how they used the bickering bid feature on other sites and this person honestly replyed. It made perfect sense to them or they would not have accepted the bids offered. You have to remember that what makes or breaks such a deal is what they paid for the item in first place. Was it free, did they pay $1, $25? I So $75 was over optimistic, $50 was gladly accepted as a bid. Was it really worth $500? Maybe, but they were glad to see the back of it.

They indicated they used bickering bids for only a few items they were not familiar with prices on. Fine, none of us are experts at everything. Is that a crazy way to price ALL your listings? Of course it is. Very risky. Better to get an quick education than to let all your stuff go for pennies. That ain't a way to run a business.

You are against this option, and would never use it. I am also against this option and would never use it. However I am open to having it added as a option for those who feel it is a way to sell more stuff. My reservation is, as I have said before, buyers are different here, less likely to mess around emailing etc, so I don't think it will work great here anyway. I suspect they could achieve the same thing by just offering a sale on their items, but who knows?

[deltadelta48]

I envy people who can always find a catalog, or other sellers offering the same item, or price lists, for all the items they sell.

Regarding the candy dish: I was able to find many candy dishes by Royal Crown Derby being offered, but not any in the same pattern. If they were in pristine condition, the prices being asked started at $100 and went up from there. Although ours had several flaws, it was a pretty pattern, and judging by the style it was made in the 1920's or 1930's. We let it run at $40 for about six months, then added the "Make an Offer" option. If $40 had been a fair price, someone would have bought it by then. $25 was not a ridiculously low offer, so we accepted it. What price would you put on it? Should we have discarded it because we couldn't find the correct price? Should we have just let it run forever?

Regarding the WWI gas mask: We found some being offered for $300 and more, but they were in very good condition. Ours was in terrible condition. We did the same thing, guessed at $75 and let it run for a few months. Lots of views, no buyer. Again, we added the "Make an Offer" option, $50 was not unreasonable, we accepted. What price would you put on it? Should we have discarded it because we couldn't find the correct price? Should we have just let it run forever?

Keep in mind that we have hundreds of vintage items and we're not experts in any of the categories. We don't have unlimited time to spend doing research.

Exactly (see my post to him too). So much depends on what you paid. Only you know that, how long it has been laying around, how much you want to get rid of it, etc. At some point waiting for that high bid that someone somewhere paid for something similiar is silly.

Like you I have tons of stuff I picked up cheap. Yes, I will price it lower to move it along to a new home. Should I hold out for top dollar? No, I would rather move it. Much of my stuff is priced below feebay or other website price and so what? I still make at least 4-6 times what I paid for it soooo, why should I hold out for 8-10 times wore than I paid? Nay, Many people buy my stuff to resell, great. More power to them if they are willing to sit on stock for months in this economy waiting for that top dollar.

[deltadelta48]

"Keep in mind that we have hundreds of vintage items and we're not experts in any of the categories. We don't have unlimited time to spend doing research"

i take it you buy items to sell on ie vintage items, do you not have a standard mark up price eg i buy for $50.00 sell for $100 or i buy for $50.00 sell for $80.00 working on a % basis removes the need to know the retail $ price in fact its more inportant to know the value of a item before you buy it so you know if the % bracket you work too .can stand the market, this hold true for new goods you buy at A amount sell at X amount the X amount allows for your % and costs if you buy this way i can not see why anyone would need to offer "best offer" if you want a best price or best offer simply reduce your BIN price,

as far as antiques and collectables go if your in the trade and want to move large amounts, theres no such thing as haggling you buy at a set amount and sell for a small margin [per item] and move a van full or container full in one go, thats basicly how shippers work they know the whole sale price they have no regard for the retail price, there after whole sale trade prices, so even if the whole sale price drops they acomadate this with out dropping there margins, thats how the antique trade works and has worked for hundreds of years,

if you work on a % basis and get your percentage on a item does it really matter if the buyer gets a bargin because you dident know the top retail price! any proper business knows there market and knows there market and should price accordingly without the need for "best offer"

Knowing top price or even range is difficult in the collectables game, especially in this economy. It is always what someone is willing to pay and that varies a lot. Two years ago I could not get enough vintage 1950s aprons, sold for $30+, now they are $5 unless very outstanding. The fad passed. Like lunch boxes, beanie babies, etc.

And how cheap you can buy it is a factor too.Cheaper the better gives wiggle room in pricing. No sourcebook is written that reflects my picking up 10 cases of vintage linens for what amounts to 25 to 50 cents an item and having them worth $800+ easily? Should I figure out a percentage of markup on that tablecloth or just price at $20 when its range is $20-25. No math skills needed, subtract my costs and I am still WAY ahead.

That is how some of us can buy cheap and sell at moderate range and not really pay attention to markups etc. But go crazy at an auction and that does become very important. i.e. I will never pay $10 for a vintage tablecloth that might sell for only $15 or $20. yet I have seen some buyers bid them up to $40. Nuts.

I can see being careful with pricing of new items, or items that are bought for a price close to what they are worth. But with collectables, if a seller buys right and cheaply, it is not so important.